Since graduating from CMC in 1975, Steven López has established himself as a respected figure in the field of psychology. His work has focused on what it means for mental health professionals to be competent in providing services to culturally diverse communities. His main research examines how sociocultural factors influence the psychopathology, assessment, and treatment of Latinos and other ethnic minorities.

In addition to his research, López has maintained a clinical practice for several years in both public and private mental health facilities. He also serves as a consultant to several mental health and health organizations on how to improve their staff's cultural competence. He is currently directing a summer research training program for U.S. minority students in Mexico City in collaboration with the Instituto Mexicano de Psiquiatria.

López has authored and coauthored a number of scholarly articles and book chapters. These have been featured in journals such as American Psychology, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Counseling Psychology, and Psychological Assessment.

Titles of these works include: Gender Bias in Clinical Judgment: An Assessment of the Analogue Method's Transparency and Social Desirability (1993); Mexican Americans' Initial Preferences for Counselors: The Role of Ethnic Factors (1991); Cognitive-Intellectual Functioning of Spanish-Speaking Impaired and Non-impaired Elderly: Implications for Culturally Sensitive Assessment (1991); An Attributional Analysis of Expressed Emotion in Mexican-American Families with Schizophrenia (1993); and The Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race in American Psychology (1993).

López is a member of the psychology faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Having earned his doctorate degree from UCLA in 1983, he taught at the University of Southern California from 1982 to 1991. He was recently awarded fellow status of Division 45 of the American Psychological Association.